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Guide to New Zealand's freshwater invertebrates
Insects and springtails
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Chewing mouthparts, abdomen covered by hard wing covers
Adult beetles
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Sickle/tusk-like jaws, no clawed prolegs, some with 2 tail filaments, some with tentacle-like abdominal gills. OR, mealworm-like larvae.
Larval beetles
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Beak-like or conical mouthparts, wings may or may not be present
Bugs
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Carries a mobile case (which covers a soft abdomen)
Cased caddisflies
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Extendable “jaws” on a hinged structure that folds under the head
Damselflies & dragonflies
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Long, needle-like mouthparts? (rare in streams)
Lacewings
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Gills along the abdomen, and 3 slender or feathered tails
Mayflies
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Very small, entirely soft, water-repellent body, sometimes a fleshy tail
Springtails
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Flattened body form (legs to the side of the body) and 2 slender tails
Stoneflies
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Soft abdomen, tail has 2 fleshy “prolegs” with hooks, no mobile case
Uncased caddisflies
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Other insects
